Exploring Patents Within the Same Technology Domain as US7400950B2

Some patents introduce niche ideas. Others shift how entire industries operate. US7400950B2 belongs in the latter category.

It recently surfaced in the litigation matter of Iron Bird LLC v. UAV Systems International Inc. We’re not diving into legal claims, only the underlying technology.

This patent outlines a method for tracking aircraft movement using an onboard optical sensor. The system measures image shifts, much like an optical mouse. It helps manage position, altitude, and even supports stable hovering during flight.

In this article, we turn to the Global Patent Search (GPS) tool to explore related inventions. Using feature mapping, we’ll examine patents that share functional similarities with US7400950B2. Whether you’re focused on UAV systems, IP strategy, or emerging sensor tech, this review brings targeted insight into a growing technology domain.

Understanding Patent US7400950B2

US7400950B2 discloses a compact optical sensing system designed to measure vehicle motion. It uses an onboard lens and optical shift sensor, similar to a computer mouse sensor, to detect image displacement from environmental surfaces. The system calculates motion or position based on these shifts and is especially suited for aircraft, including helicopters, to stabilize hovering and manage ground-relative flight movements.

Its four key features are

#1. Optical mouse-like sensor – Uses a shift sensor with a built-in evaluation unit to detect environmental image shifts.

#2. Ground-facing imaging lens – The lens focuses on distant surfaces to track movement across the ground.

#3. Integrated feedback loop – Supports vehicle stabilization, especially for hovering flight, using real-time optical flow data.

#4. Minimal hardware footprint – Requires no complex video systems, making it ideal for small, remote-controlled aircraft.

This technology blends optical tracking with flight control, enabling lightweight and responsive stabilization in airborne systems.

Similar Patents As US7400950B2

To explore the innovation landscape surrounding US7400950B2, we ran the patent through the Global Patent Search tool. Below is a quick glimpse of the GPS tool in working:

Source: Global Patent Search

This analysis surfaced a list of related patents that share technical similarities in optical motion tracking, vehicle stabilization, and airborne sensor design. Below, we highlight five such references that echo comparable concepts in flight control and movement detection. These examples offer a broader perspective on how similar challenges have been addressed in aerial and missile systems.

#1. EP2241896A1

This European patent EP2241896A1, published in 2010, proposes a stabilizing system designed for missiles and other machine-controllable vehicles. It leverages optical sensors to measure motion-related quantities, especially for stabilization during flight in complex trajectories.

What this patent introduces to the landscape?

1. Six-degree motion sensing: Uses optical tracking to measure speed and position across all degrees of freedom in vehicles including missiles.
   
2. Orthogonal sensor alignment: Implements three sensors with lines of sight in different spatial directions for comprehensive motion data.
   
3. Distance and shift tracking: Captures translational movements and calculates speed via image shift relative to terrain features.
   
4. Rotorcraft integration: Includes control logic for helicopter tail rotor using optical rotation measurements.
   
5. Incremental shift evaluation: Supports analog or digital quadrature-based motion sensing with variable accuracy.
   

How it connects to US7400950B2?

While US7400950B2 focuses on using optical flow to stabilize hovering aircraft, EP2241896A1 extends this concept to missile control and aerial coordination. Both share core strategies in:

• Using pixel-level optical shifts to derive flight dynamics
  
• Embedding sensors to track translational and rotational movement
  
• Employing compact systems for lightweight, onboard stabilization control
  

Why this matters?

EP2241896A1 illustrates how optical motion detection has been adapted for missile and rotorcraft guidance. Its focus on minimal hardware, sensor fusion, and image-based control reflects the same goals seen in US7400950B2. This crossover highlights a broader trend of using real-time optical sensing to support autonomous navigation and stabilization in aerospace systems.

#2. JPH08285633A

This Japanese patent JPH08285633A, published in 1996, presents a high-accuracy system for measuring ground speed, migration distance, and three-dimensional position of an airborne vehicle. It relies on a CCD camera and rangefinder, mounted via a gyro-stabilized platform, to capture optical movement and calculate real-time flight data.

What this patent introduces to the landscape?

1. CCD-based tracking system: Uses a gyro-stabilized CCD camera to visually monitor ground movement from airborne platforms.
   
2. Ground speed measurement: Calculates flying object speed through pixel shift and time intervals (Δt) between captured frames.
   
3. 3D position estimation: Integrates altitude from a rangefinder with optical data to derive three-dimensional position coordinates.
   
4. Autonomous navigation support: Enables precise tracking of programmed or remote-controlled aerial routes.
   
5. Pixel-to-distance conversion: Converts visual pixel shifts into real-world distances for accurate motion computation.
   

How it connects to US7400950B2?

JPH08285633A shares a similar objective with US7400950B2, real-time motion sensing using onboard optical systems. While US7400950B2 employs a mouse-like shift sensor, this reference uses a CCD camera with a stabilizing gimbal. Both seek to convert environmental imagery into movement data for enhanced flight control.

Why this matters?

This patent underscores the importance of pixel-based optical measurements in flight navigation. It highlights alternative hardware setups achieving similar goals, calculating position, speed, and movement without relying on GPS. Its practical approach complements the lightweight sensor design of US7400950B2, offering another path to precise optical flight control.

#3. DE3927851A1

This German patent DE3927851A1, published in 1990, describes a spatial position detection and guidance system for aircraft, particularly during landing. It uses an electro-optical system to detect signals from aircraft and transmit positional data to a ground-based guidance computer through a radio link.

What this patent introduces to the landscape?

1. Electro-optical tracking system: Detects positional lights on aircraft using ground-based optical sensors.
   
2. Dual-view sensor configuration: Employs a two-perspective sensor setup to calculate position and orientation accurately.
   
3. Radio link feedback: Transmits real-time positional data to aircraft for closed-loop landing guidance.
   
4. Automatic landing integration: Supports unmanned fighter jet landings through precision optical and data feedback.
   
5. Ground-controlled steering inputs: Uses a centralized computer system to guide the aircraft during descent and landing.
   

How it connects to US7400950B2?

Unlike US7400950B2’s onboard optical motion tracking, DE3927851A1 employs a ground-based sensor system. Yet both use optical measurement for real-time vehicle guidance and stabilization, focusing on precise spatial awareness during flight operations.

Why this matters?

DE3927851A1 highlights how optical data can support autonomous flight operations, particularly in critical phases like landing. It reinforces the broader theme shared with US7400950B2, using image-based systems to determine position and control movement in real time.

#4. US4605308A

This U.S. patent, US4605308A, published in 1986, presents a contactless sensor system for detecting relative motion between a sensor and a surface. It uses optical detection to calculate both speed and distance of vehicles without physical contact, based on environmental surface patterns.

What this patent introduces to the landscape?

1. Non-contact optical sensing: Measures relative movement using light patterns reflected from a surface without physical connection.
   
2. Speed and distance computation: Calculates velocity and travel length through structured image shift detection.
   
3. Surface structure utilization: Operates best with naturally textured surfaces like roads or terrain for consistent optical reference.
   
4. Vector-based motion analysis: Derives displacement signals based on relative movement direction and speed.
   
5. Land and air application flexibility: Applicable to both surface vehicles and aircraft using ground texture as a reference.
   

How it connects to US7400950B2?

Both patents rely on analyzing image shifts to determine vehicle motion. While US7400950B2 embeds this function in an onboard aerial system for flight stabilization, US4605308A takes a broader, modality-agnostic approach for detecting speed and distance across various vehicles.

Why this matters?

This reference showcases early groundwork in contactless motion sensing. Its use of environmental textures and image-based detection prefigures the sensor logic in US7400950B2, illustrating how optical techniques evolved to support lightweight, integrated flight systems.

#5. ES2387154T3

This Spanish patent ES2387154T3, published in 2012, introduces a stabilization and motion measurement system for manned or unmanned flying bodies. It uses optical sensors to detect translational and rotational movements across all six degrees of freedom, offering detailed position and flight control feedback.

What this patent introduces to the landscape?

1. Six-degree optical motion tracking: Detects vehicle motion and orientation using optical displacement sensors.
   
2. Helicopter-specific stabilization: Describes control systems using rotor-linked acceleration sensors to stabilize pitch and roll.
   
3. Environmental contrast mapping: Projects terrain or object textures onto sensors for shift-based motion analysis.
   
4. Integrated optical and gyro feedback: Combines high-pass filtered optical signals with low-pass gyro data for accurate stabilization.
   
5. Supplementary GPS use: Enhances GPS-based navigation near ground level with precise optical measurements.
   

How it connects to US7400950B2?

ES2387154T3 shares US7400950B2’s goal of stabilizing flight through lightweight, sensor-based motion tracking. Both use shift sensors to interpret environmental data and guide control loops, emphasizing accurate position feedback without heavy imaging equipment.

Why this matters?

This patent reinforces how optical sensing can complement or even outperform traditional gyroscopic and GPS-based systems, especially in low-altitude or high-precision flight. It echoes the design intent of US7400950B2, providing agile and cost-effective stabilization for airborne vehicles.

How to Find Related Patents Using Global Patent Search?

Understanding the broader innovation landscape around a patent can be essential for advancing UAV systems, benchmarking motion control techniques, or enhancing stabilization designs. The Global Patent Search (GPS) tool simplifies this task, helping users identify inventions that echo similar sensing architectures or feedback mechanisms. Here’s how it works:

1. Enter the patent number into GPS: Type in a patent number like US7400950B2 into the GPS tool. The system transforms it into a smart search query, which can also be refined using sensor-specific terms or control keywords.

2. Explore conceptual snippets: Instead of feature-by-feature mapping, GPS now displays intelligent text snippets. These pinpoint functional parallels in other patents, revealing core ideas behind flight stabilization and motion tracking.

3. Identify related inventions: The tool surfaces patents that share optical sensing, feedback loops, or motion estimation principles, providing a deeper look into how similar technologies have evolved.

4. Compare systems, not legal claims: GPS focuses on technical logic and system behavior. It allows users to study overlaps in functionality without interpreting legal boundaries or claims.

5. Accelerate cross-domain insights: Whether you’re developing unmanned aircraft, smart sensors, or motion controllers, GPS helps you scan patent ecosystems that might otherwise be fragmented or overlooked.

With this approach, Global Patent Search offers engineers and analysts a practical, concept-driven view of related inventions, supporting smarter innovation and more informed patent strategies.

Disclaimer: The information provided in this article is for informational purposes only and should not be considered legal advice. The related patent references mentioned are preliminary results from the Global Patent Search (GPS) tool and do not guarantee legal significance. For a comprehensive related patent analysis, we recommend conducting a detailed search using GPS or consulting a patent attorney.